Why It Worked is a pioneering global and interdisciplinary initiative 

that delves into the transformative processes that ended the world’s most intractable conflicts over the past 70 years, to understand how long-standing, violent conflicts have successfully transitioned to better, violence-free realities. By analyzing these cases, the project provides insights and strategies that can inform the work of communities in conflict zones around the world. This multi-year study seeks to build an applicable model for conflict resolution that can used by practitioners focused on protracted, asymmetric, and ethnonational conflicts globally.

The research focused on Protracted, Asymmetric, and Ethnonational (PAE) conflicts that were terminated by a comprehensive peace agreement respected by all parties and where violence did not reemerge after the agreement was signed. The effort entailed working with local capacity-building organizations and practitioners in ongoing conflicts.

  • Protracted: Conflict lasted more than 20 years
  • Asymmetric: Power discrepancy between parties
  • Ethnonational: Ethnic or nationalistic component

The initiative engaged with five global universities to research conflict through these lenses:

  • Land and Resources, University of Delaware
    • The Role of Land and Natural Resources in Negotiating Peace Agreements
  • Identity and Religion, George Mason University
    • The Role of Identity and Religion in Peace Processes
  • Power and Leadership, Harvard University
    • Threads of Peace: Leadership and Conflict Resolution in Nested Negotiation Networks
  • Track II Negotiations, University of Ottawa
    • How It Helped: The Role of Track Two in Protracted, Asymmetric and Ethnonational Conflicts   
  • Process and Negotiation, Uppsala University
    • Triangulating Peace: How adversaries build sustainable peace through negotiated settlements   

You can access a summary report derived from the research as part of a forthcoming issue of Negotiation Journal. View the Why It Worked Research Summary Report. 

 

Now, the Why It Worked project is focused on building on this foundation, to continue to develop research, teaching materials, and fieldwork.

Research: Insights on how conflicts reached better realities
Teaching: Prepare students to work in negotiations and conflict resolution
Fieldwork: Equip leaders to define and design options

View the Why It Worked 1-Page Overview.

If you are a practitioner, student, teacher, or interested in working with us or learning more, please reach out to Elan Kogutt.

Research Teams

Project Lead: Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Collaboratory, CPL, Harvard Kennedy School

  • Monica Giannone, Brian Mandell, Elan Kogutt, Anselm Dannecker, Tala Ram-Rainsford, Javier Muñoz

Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences, University of Delaware

  • Saleem H. Ali, Nancy Boyer, Gabriela Mundaca, Lynette de Silva

Carter School, George Mason University

  • Alpaslan Ozerdem, Marc Gopin, Karina V. Korostelina, Jeffrey Helsing

Negotiation Task Force, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University

  • Arvid Bell, Warisha Aslam

Ottawa Dialogue, University of Ottawa

  • Peter Jones, Julia Palmiano Federer

Uppsala University

  • Isak Svensson, Mimmi Soderberg Kovacs

 

Why It Worked was devised and funded by Bridging Insights, Inc. and designed and led by Harvard Kennedy School’s Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Collaboratory. Bridging Insights, Inc. is a registered nonprofit organization seeking to build a research-based model for conflict resolution to provide new ideas, paradigms, and methods of engagement applicable to practitioners in diverse conflicted areas.